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DS not sleeping well at night :-(

UGH...DS goes down at around 7pm and stays asleep till anywhere between 9pm-12am and then is up every 45 minutes. He is not eating (just comfort nursing or my husband is able to rock him). He usually wakes with a loud cry as though in pain (despite being on reflux medication) but goes right back to sleep after a few minutes of nursing/rocking. Is anyone else experiencing this?> I should add that its been going on for 2 weeks now and DS is nearly 7 months old. Sometime he appears to be straining with gas which also started 2 weeks ago. He seems to be teething a lot more but I just cant deal with NO sleep at night. I will try cosleeping again but anytime I try he gets annoyed (he likes his own sleeping space). Due to the frequent waking and not consolidating sleep he is VERY cranky during the day and CONSTANTLY rubs his eyes. I'm not sure if the eye rubbing is related to being tired, teething, or possible allergies? My milk supply is great and he is gaining well, Thank G-d. I occasionally give him tylenol but I dont see a big difference in sleep. Any suggestions?

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

Have you introduced any solids lately? I started doing BLS with my lo between 7 and 8 months. The frequency and consistency of his bowel movements went through major changes at that time, so he was very uncomfortable and fussy throughout the night. He too would wake up with a sharp cry, and appear to be straining to have a bowel movement or pass gas. It took about a month and a half for his digestive system to adapt to the new dietary changes. Hopefully some other mamas will chime in with other ideas. HTH

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

yes we did buuuut I am sticking with P foods (pear, prunes)...i tried BLW but it seemed to constipate him so I give him a few veggies followed by a few spoonfuls of prune. But we began a little over a month ago and I kept stopping due to severe GI discomfort and then after a week or two would try again. Now its been a couple weeks since we began the prunes/pear. Should I stop again? Has anyone tried digestive enzymes to help?

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

Around 6 months he began taking one around 8:30/9am for 40 minutes. Then around 11:45 he slept 40 minutes but would wake up very cranky so i began putting him right back to sleep for another 40 so it turns out being 1.5 hr nap (occasionally he wont wake up in between) and then another nap around 3:45 for 40 minutes. But something weird happened starting 3 days ago he started only waking 4 times (big improvement) and started waking earlier around 6/6:15 am so his naps have been kind of wacky...He wants his napy around 7:45 then 10am then 1pm then 5pm so im wondering if i should go with the flow or try keeping him up because by 1pm when he used to sleep longer he isnt going for the 1.5 hour nap cuz he already had two 45 minute naps earlier in the day. Ugh this sleep game is stressful...

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

What about yogurt for the probiotics that help with gut health?. Honestly I say don't mediate the naps, let him sleep when he is tired. This will pass! How is your Winter? Is he getting enough time outdoors? That can really affect sleep.

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

We just moved to Florida so we are really enjoying lots of time outdoors every day...we go the park, on long walks, to the pool...Anyway we took him to the Ped last week because he had a fever the night before and the Ped said we could just stop giving him the meds so i weaned him in a matter of a few days...i dont know if it has made much of a difference. His naps are great now but he still wakes up a bunch at night like 4-5 times and only nurses 1-2 times...other times he wants me to pat/rub his back while he goes back to sleep. I know its a stage but im tired and I feel that he is more tired through out the day as well. he constantly rubs his eyes and is VERY fussy. I need to be constantly shanging activities and taking him out. It's fun but also hard that he wont entertain himself for more than 5-10 minutes!

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

You are so right about it being hard. I remember that stage where I was thinking ''what the heck is independent play?''. It helped, minorly, to give her sensory activities and older toys than I would have guessed for her age. But all-in-all during that time I spent a lot of time at the park so she was distracted by nature and I could read a page of a book. Perhaps someone can help you out and come over and let you nap/rest 2-3 days in a row so you feel less tired. Maybe even go pamper yourself somehow. If you don't know anyone I really recommend going to an LLL meeting and just being honest that you need someone to come over. Also I find making sure I get enough snacks/water helps. Basically I find ways to restore my own balance (without jeopardizing needs of LO) so I can better deal with the hard stages. I have a document with various no-cry sleep suggestions if you'd like.

Re: DS not sleeping well at night :-(

@redpowerlady:
Thanks rr the suggestions...my husband has been helpful and has taken him in the AM till after his first morning nap so I can get more time in bed. It definately has made a difference. I guess I'm just craving uninteruptrd sleep thas longer then 2-3 hours. I feel that lately he has really been struck with separation anxiety (despite the fact that I'm a SAHM) because he doesn't necessarily want to nurse, he wants me to rub his back but even once he starts drifting off, it I start to walk away he yells! It's so cute but I don't know how to help him with the anxiety so we can both get some more consolidated sleep. He is SO cranky and irritable and the nights he wakes less I notice a huge change in his behavior and temperament.